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Series Preview, Round 1: Rangers vs Penguins
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
This matchup seems quite familiar.
For the third consecutive season, the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins will face off in the playoffs, as the long time rivalry between the teams continues to intensify through intense playoff matchups.
The Rangers have won both of the playoff series in the past two years, including a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit in 2014 after rallying around the death of Martin St. Louis’ mother. That series saw the double goal in overtime from Benoit Pouliot, a St. Louis goal on Mothers’ Day, and a clutch Game 7 win with some excellent goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. Read the rest of this entry
Know the foe: Pittsburgh Penguins
John Dundon
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Next up in our “know the foe series:” the hottest team in the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With just four regular season games remaining for the 2015-2016 New York Rangers, playoff matchups are still a bit cloudy. If there is a team we’d call the frontrunner for the Rangers to face in the first round as things currently stand, the Penguins would be the winner.
This certainly isn’t a blessing, though. Pittsburgh has taken off since they fired Mike Johnston and hired Mike Sullivan, former Rangers assistant under John Tortorella. Sullivan’s Penguins remind me a lot of the ’13-’14 Rangers: plenty of speed on the wing and star players that have been rejuvenated by a new system and a fresh start. The Penguins lead the NHL in just about every offensive category since Sullivan took over on Dec. 12, including an NHL high 3.46 goals per game in that span. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers pick up crucial point in overtime loss to the Penguins
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
It’s never good to lose, but if there’s a way to do it against a division rival battling for playoff position, it’s in overtime. In a very even and tightly contested game, the Rangers (43-24-9) were defeated in overtime by the Pittsburgh Penguins (42-25-8), ending their three game win streak and seeing the Penguins win their eighth game in the past nine contests.
This also marked the third consecutive game that the Penguins have beaten the Rangers, giving New York a record of 1-2-1 in the season series. The overtime loss was crucial, meaning that they would still be a point ahead of the Penguins if they won a game in regulation or overtime (ROW = tiebreaker).
The first period was very even between both teams. Similar possession, the shots on goal were very close (13-11 in favor of New York), and each team scored a goal. Both teams played last night and that showed at first, as both teams were clearly trying to find their legs and stretch the ice. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers play the season’s biggest game against the Penguins at MSG
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
In arguably the most important game of the season, the Rangers (43-24-8) will battle the Pittsburgh Penguins (41-25-8) in a divisional rivalry that could decide the home ice advantage in a likely first-round playoff series between these two teams.
The Rangers currently hold the second place position in the Metropolitan Division, sitting four points ahead of the Pens, although they have a game in hand. Both teams have also been playing very well as of late. New York has won three straight games while Pittsburgh has won seven of their last eight games after losing Evgeni Malkin to injury.
Following a statement win over the Canadiens, tonight marks a great opportunity for the Rangers to gain a foothold in the division and make things easier for themselves as the season comes to a close. Points against the Penguins could secure home ice advantage in the first round. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers begin grueling stretch against the Penguins: Jesper Fast a game-time decision
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a fantastic February where the Rangers (37-20-6) posted a 10-3-1 record and tied the franchise record for wins in February, they begin the month of March with a grueling three game stretch against Division Rivals, starting with the Pittsburgh Penguins (32-22-8) at the CONSOL Energy Center.
This three game stretch starts out against the Penguins, immediately followed by a road game against the Capitals on Friday night. The Blueshirts will get a day off before they take on the Islanders at MSG. Considering all three teams are in the playoffs, and the Penguins and Islanders are not that far behind in the standings, it’s a very important stretch for the Rangers.
The Rangers come into this game playing very well, winning three in a row, five of the last six, and 10 of the last 13 games. On top of that, they added Eric Staal to their forward group without giving up any roster players, making them an even more versatile and dangerous team. This will be Staal’s first taste of the Ranger rivalry games, and he’ll be leaned on heavily. Read the rest of this entry
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